LOS ANGELES — With every note he belts out, Julian Torres isn’t just sharing his powerful voice but his culture.
Inspired by his father, who is also a singer, he knew at a young age that he wanted to do the same.
“At the age of 9 or 10, I saw a group of kids playing mariachi music. I feel in love, and I wanted to become a mariachi,” Torres said.
As a child, Torres performed at several events, including one on Olvera Street, but one of his dreams has always been to sing at Dodger Stadium.
“I remember as a kid being part of this program, and I went to go throw the first pitch at Dodger Stadium. No one knows that, so I threw the first pitch and I told my mom, ‘Wow, this would be cool to like ever sing there,’” Torres said.
It’s a dream that became a reality for Torres. He’s actually been able to sing at Chavez Ravine a few times.
One of his performances was for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series last year that went viral. He says that night the crowd was electric, and he loved it.
Now, he’s getting ready to go back to Dodger Stadium for the home opener. Torres be performing at Centerfield Plaza before the game, and he’s hoping this is just one of many performances for the Dodgers. He hopes one day he’ll be able to take the field and sing the national anthem.
“One day, I don’t know, hopefully, that would be amazing to me,” he said.